Published: Jan. 30, 2025 at 6:30 PM CST |Updated: 6 hours ago (WIFR) - A cluster of fireballs lit up the night sky Tuesday, as a SpaceX Starlink satellite entered Earth’s atmosphere over southern Wisconsin. This is a fairly common occurrence as 4 to 5 Starlink satellites fall out of orbit every day. But it’s rare to see them, as it needs to be at night with clear skies, and it must fall overhead. These satellites orbit the Earth at 18,000 mph in the exosphere, located 350 miles above the ground. They typically orbit for around 5 years before they are decommissioned and pushed back toward the earth using thrusters. The thrusters move the satellites to 150 miles above the surface, where gravity takes over the falling process. Once the satellites fall to about 50 miles above the Earth, they enter the mesosphere where they start to burn up. The speed of the satellites create a massive amount of wind resistance and friction raising temperatures to nearly 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. The high temperatures ignite and burn the satellites before they ever reach the ground. This process saves us from a lot of small space objects such as meteors, asteroids and space junk, preventing 100 tons of space dust from hitting the Earth. Copyright 2025 WIFR. All rights reserved. Most Read